Nathalie de Vries (GSD Open House Lecture)

November/2,/2012

In 1993Nathalie de Vries co-founded the Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice MVRDV in Rotterdam. The MVRDV design process utilizes collaboration across many disciplines to create new and engaging uses of urban space around the world; their work includes housing and commercial projects and designs, as well as public buildings and museums. Her work has been published worldwide and she has received many international awards. She has been Guest Professor at the TU Berlin and Visiting Professor at IIT Chicago, as well as Supervisory Architect for the Nederlandse Spoorwegen/ProRail. She serves on the Supervisory Boards of the Institute for Dutch Creative Industry, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi), and the Museum of the Image (MOTI). This semester she is also a Design Critic at the GSD.
In her lecture, Nathalie will discuss the role of the architect in the process of designing for various clients and users – from public bodies to private developers and individuals, a topic also under examination in her current GSD studio’s research on the regeneration of an old Boston neighborhood. She will explore how an architect can foster the interaction between city and buildings, thus enhancing the quality of public spaces as well as creating innovative new buildings, as well as give a sneak preview of MVRDV’s soon-to-be-published book about 20 years of realized projects will give voices to the users of MVRDV’s built works. Amongst the projects that will be shown are the recently finished Spijkenisse Public Library in the Netherlands, along with the Market Hall in Rotterdam (NL), KU.BE House of Culture and Movement in Frederiksberg (DK) and the DnBNOR Bank Headquarters on the harborfront in Oslo (N), all of which are currently in development.
Pictured: MVRDV's winning submission for the Korean competition for a “Power Center” plan for the new city of Gwanggyo.
This lecture will be part of the GSD's 2012 Open House for Prospective Students.